Awarded National Endowment for the Arts: Challenge America Grant

Fisterra Projects to Receive $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Austin, Texas—National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $30 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. Included in this announcement is a Challenge America grant of $10,000 to Fisterra Projects for the “XYZ Atlas: the Experience Map of Bryan & College Station.” The Challenge America category supports primarily small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

“The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as Fisterra Projects, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.”

“One of the biggest surprises of the XYZ Atlas is how well it fits all ages, all types of people, outside of socio-economic status. I am honored to have the opportunity to take the project to the diverse communities of Bryan and College Station. Through the support of the NEA Challenge America grant, we are able to hone this tool for community engagement. All people have a story in how we come to call a place ‘home’ and how we share that place,” said Jennifer Chenoweth, Artist.

The Fisterra Projects NEA Challenge America award supports the creation of a multimedia, interactive, community-based public art project in Bryan and College Station, Texas. A collaboration with Texas A&M University’s Department of Architecture’s Diversity Council, the project will geo-locate the community’s emotions and memories about the surrounding area. Participants will answer survey questions that correspond to strong emotional experiences in specific neighborhood areas. This data will be turned into maps and artworks that reveal a sense of belonging and attachment to the area. The communities to be reached are those that are underserved and at-risk, including areas in poverty and social fragmentation.

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Support

Fisterra Projects is supported in part by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Texas Commission for the Arts, the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, the Office of Public Art at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, the Austin Parks Foundation, the Inavale Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, and foundations, corporations and individuals.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to inspire and connect through art.